Purcell was born in Geelong, Victoria and is the second-youngest of five sisters.[2] The family moved to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland when she was a young child before returning to Geelong where Purcell attended Sacred Heart College for school.[2][3] As well as playing school football, Purcell played in local leagues with clubs such as St Mary's, before playing with the Geelong Falcons in 2018 and helping the team win the premiership in the TAC Cup.[2]
As a result of her success at junior level, Purcell received multiple selections in the TAC Cup's "Team of the Year" and was named in the 2018 AFLW Under-18 All-Australian representative team.[2][4] In the same year she also helped Geelong's VFL Women's team reach the grand final,[2] and was subsequently drafted with selection number fourteen in the 2018 AFL Women's draft by the club.[1]
It was revealed that Purcell was likely to request a trade to Melbourne in May 2021 in order to play with a team contending for a flag.[8] Purcell was traded to Melbourne on 8 June.[9]
^"AFLW team selection round 1". geelongcats.com.au. Geelong Football Club. 31 January 2019. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
The position of coach in the AFL Women's All-Australian team is traditionally awarded to the coach of the premiership-winning team; as no premiership was awarded in 2020, the coach position was not awarded.